Veterinary Science Camp: Part 2

Veterinary Science Camp: Part 2

On Wednesday, vet science campers boarded a bus to travel to MSU to explore vet science on campus. Traveling to the Horse Teaching and Research Center, part of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources College of Animal Medicine, we met Farm Manager Paula Hitzler who showed us many aspects of the barns and farm. We learned that MSU boasts one of the oldest continuous Arabian horse breeding programs in the United States. “The primary mission of the HTRC is to educate the next generation of Michigan horse persons and solve industry problems through applied scientific research.” We met several special horses and saw students working with them including a farrier student and director of the new farrier program.

Next, we boarded the bus and made our way to the MSU Dairy Cattle Teaching and Research Center comprised of multiple barns to accommodate animals of different ages and to facilitate different types of research. We learned about care and housing of the dairy herd of 180 Holsteins and how feed is stored including the alfalfa haylage, corn silage, and high moisture corn. We visited the milking parlor and had a chance to put a glove on and place our arm right inside the rumen of a cannulated milking cow!

After lunch, we visited the Beef Cattle Teaching and Research Center where the center is home to both applied and basic research projects. We saw cattle at various ages and stage, how they are cared for, and the feed lot.  A quick stop at the MSU Dairy Store was a big treat before heading back to Tollgate.

Thursday, campers learned about animal injections by actually practicing injections on fruit and chicken. Nick Babcock, Livestock Instructor for MSU Extension, demonstrated sheep hoof trimming with Rachael Moran, our Tollgate Livestock Educator. Taking time to learn about the mammalian eye, campers learned via dissection getting hands-on laboratory experience. In the afternoon, the campers played a game about the immune system called‘Ready, Set, Infect’ or as Ms. Ellen calls it ‘Ready, Set, Defense!’ Basically campers played a rousing game of tag with lots of running, yelling, chasing, and tagging as campers role-played the first, second, and third lines of defense as either the disease-causing invader antigens, the white blood cells, or theantibodies.

Our final day included lots of visit from special guests including Melissa Elischer, Animal Science Educator from campus. Melissa shared lots about animal welfare, animals’ five senses, and animal behavior. Campers again role-played, this time parts of the animal’s sensory systems. Campers made special garden kitchen treats for our animals including horse cones and frozen chicken treats. During lunch a visiting 4th year vet student named Bryant shared about his career and training this summer in a small animal vet clinic nearby. He finished by giving special visitor newfoundland Teddy a well animal check. We then took a wagon ride (with Teddy!) to visit our chickens and give them the treats we’d made for them. Our weeklong experiential learning adventureculminated by learning all about body systems with a special forensics lab. We ended the day with a visit to Sesame the pony to paint the skeletal system on her side with washable paint. All in all, our pilot Tollgate Vet Science camp was a week filled with science, fun, and learning. Join us next year for our second annual Tollgate Farm Vet Science Camp!

Here's a link to a few more photos from the week! https://photos.app.goo.gl/G6G7B7WQuQmNTTbm9

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